VST host for live keyboards

[Tj Shredder]

It might be also a combination of tools. A host like Mainstage loaded with a plugin like VIP, KK or Unify. In these cases, you would need some visual feedback via a computer screen.
I usually don’t want to first load a plugin and then load a preset. I want to load a preset directly. In Bitwig that is possible and highly customizable without 3rd party aid btw...
If you did not preload/prepare any of those combinations, of course the loading of a preset might need a moment. But in a live improvising set, you usually have some known sounds in mind and would not browse arbitrarily through presets...

[effebal]

A good option could be Camelot Pro.
It is a vst host dedicated to keyboardists, and both hw and vst are handled in the same way, so you can setup a scene layering sounds from different keyboards.

[Toets]

A good option could be Camelot Pro.
It is a vst host dedicated to keyboardists, and both hw and vst are handled in the same way, so you can setup a scene layering sounds from different keyboards.

I run camelot pro on my ipad..
Its an incredible nice program..
Yet you can not add /auv3-effects to your vst/auv3 sounds..
Also its just as static as mainstage on my mac..
However, it has incredible integration for hardware
Altough fantom is not yet supported.


The only thing that offers kinda what i am looking for are the nektar products
But they require a sepperate hardware controller..
The panorama P1 is Definately an option

[deskew]

Replaced with a correct post

[deskew]

On the fantom i can change my rhodes sound into a wurlitzer in litteraly 2 secconds..

Uh, yeah - but that's because the Fantom is preprogrammed.

Nothing to stop you using a plugin that is preprogrammed with lots of different sounds (Kontakt, Halion, UVI, etc) and switching from one to another on the fly as well as overlaying other sounds on the fly. I do that all the time with our plugin host, Gig Performer which I used to control with a Korg Kronos (so similar to Fantom). Also, you can switch to from one sound to another between two beats if you want, way faster than 2 seconds!

Having said that, when you use plugins, you can design a much more flexible environment than you can with a piece of hardware and still configure that environment to change stuff at a moment's notice.

[woodslanding]

I use Usine Hollyhock. It's fully modular, hosts VSTs, and lets you create your own gui to control it.

It will do everything you want, it does for me. I use it with a touchscreen, and can sound design on the fly, no problem.

But you will spend countless hours getting your masterpiece 'just so', so you do have to have a 'build a fighter jet in your garage' kind of mentality! Some modest scripting chops wouldn't hurt, (it uses Delphi, uugh!) although you can do most things without it, and there are folks who can help you on the forums. I've been using it for about 8 years. Before that I used Bidule, and wrote a graphic front end in Reaktor (a mess, but it worked...)

But I'd completely forgotten where the idea came from. Now I remember my Ensoniq EPS-16! I could set up 8 patches, and switch and layer between them at will. Even load something into an unused slot while playing. I've spent a decade trying to get that ease-of-use I had back in 1990!

But what I have now is much, much better, so I guess it was all worth it

Oh another consideration is VIP and the akai advance keyboards. But I feel like they stopped developing VIP, and I bought it and never really got into it. I like the advance keybed tho, it's a great feeling controller.

Also there is a Live Performance forum on REAPER, and there are tools there that might work for you.

Also, unify has been mentioned here, and it's pretty easy to dial layers up there, although it's not touchscreen friendly. It's the closest to giving you what you want 'out of the box'. And it comes with a bunch of very usable good-sounding presets. It will also load whatever VSTs you own.

HTH!
-eric

[moss]

Bitwig is very suited for this..
But you can’t switch sounds in bitwig based on a midi program/bank change..

The Instrument Selector can only be mapped to CC but you can e.g. use my "Generic Flexi" extension to map PC to CC or a user parameter.

So i agree i could preprepare 16 tracks..
But that would kind of limit me.. to 16 patches...

I thought that this is what you were after? Maybe you misunderstood me: On each track you can have as many sounds as you want. E.g. Track 1 could contain 100 Pianos, Track 2 100 Organs, Track 3 100 Pads, etc.
It is on my TODO list for Bitwig tutorial videos, maybe I should move it up in priority

That would be great...
Because i can’t create what you just explained..
I video tutorial might shed some light on this..

So basically your tooling allows me to convert my pc and lsb and msb bank changes into a cc vallues that can be used to select sounds... thats brilliant

So, here we go, first video is online:

[manw]

Not really a vst host solution, but how about Kontakt banks?
You could create banks of up to 127 instruments/bank and then load them all in the same Kontakt instance, each with it's own channel. That gives you 16 channels x 127 patches (provided you have the RAM for the job) that respond to MIDI CC, bank and PC messages. And everything else (splits, layers, etc) can still be controlled from the Fantom. I don't have the Fantom, but i have an FA08 and this can easily be done. The drawback is you will be limited to Kontakt libraries, but nowadays we are spoiled for choice when it comes to those...

[moss]

Not really a vst host solution, but how about Kontakt banks?
You could create banks of up to 127 instruments/bank and then load them all in the same Kontakt instance, each with it's own channel. That gives you 16 channels x 127 patches (provided you have the RAM for the job) that respond to MIDI CC, bank and PC messages. And everything else (splits, layers, etc) can still be controlled from the Fantom. I don't have the Fantom, but i have an FA08 and this can easily be done. The drawback is you will be limited to Kontakt libraries, but nowadays we are spoiled for choice when it comes to those...

I actually did that in the past and send a bunch of improvement wishes to NI which sadly did never happen.

[manw]

Yeah, sounds like NI to pass on suggestions from single users, but i'm sure that if you stir the waters in the NI forum, they would take notice . Just out of curiosity, what were your suggestions?

[moss]

Yeah, sounds like NI to pass on suggestions from single users, but i'm sure that if you stir the waters in the NI forum, they would take notice . Just out of curiosity, what were your suggestions?

Sorry, that's just too long ago. I think mainly user interface improvements.

[manw]

I understood from your post that the UI of the software was irrelevant, since you use the Fantom as the centerpiece of your setup to command everything (layers, splits, mixing, etc - all would be defined within the keyboard workstation, not in the software); in that case, all that is needed is something that loads your sounds and assigns them to specific channels and Kontakt does that just well. Unless i am mistaken and you wanted something diferent...

[moss]

I understood from your post that the UI of the software was irrelevant, since you use the Fantom as the centerpiece of your setup to command everything (layers, splits, mixing, etc - all would be defined within the keyboard workstation, not in the software); in that case, all that is needed is something that loads your sounds and assigns them to specific channels and Kontakt does that just well. Unless i am mistaken and you wanted something diferent...

That was the original poster, not me.

[jancivil]

Orange Tree Samples' Mind Control is the way to expand on use of Kontakt banks.
I think it's 20 bucks. Each bank gets a slot which can be actuated a number of ways, key switch, channel, setting other condiions etc

[manw]

I understood from your post that the UI of the software was irrelevant, since you use the Fantom as the centerpiece of your setup to command everything (layers, splits, mixing, etc - all would be defined within the keyboard workstation, not in the software); in that case, all that is needed is something that loads your sounds and assigns them to specific channels and Kontakt does that just well. Unless i am mistaken and you wanted something diferent...

That was the original poster, not me.

Oops, sorry about that.